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Looking out across the starting line as the sun rose over the Twin Cities Marathon, Tommy B. knew he'd won the race before even stepping onto the course.

Twenty-two months to the day after completing addiction treatment at Hazelden in Center City, Minnesota, Tommy crossed the marathon finish line with a grateful heart, a Boston qualifying time, and $6,050 in pledges from 74 individuals to benefit patient financial assistance at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.

"When you leave treatment, you know your life is going to change, but you can't imagine what your new life is going to look like," Tommy shares. "I stood at that starting line and thought, 'Look where I am! Look where I've been! Look where I'm going!' It was such an amazing feeling."

Although he ran on the cross-country team in high school and ran throughout his college years, Tommy's drinking eventually edged out his commitment to running and his interest in just about everything else that once mattered to him.

When he found recovery, he rediscovered running.

"At first, running became a great way to occupy my time and a good way to get out of drinking with friends on weekends. Now I'm out on the trails training in the predawn hours, with lots of time to think about everyone who's supported my journey—and how lucky I am now to be in a position to help others."

YOUR SUPPORT SAVES LIVES. You make our mission possible.

The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and
communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. It is the nation's largest
nonprofit treatment provider, with a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding
of the Betty Ford Center. With 17 sites in California, Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois, New York,
Florida, Massachusetts, Colorado and Texas, the Foundation offers prevention and recovery
solutions nationwide and across the entire continuum of care for youth and adults.